[LEAPSECS] nails in the coffin of mean solar time

[M. Warner Losh]

In message: <20070615140853.GA18977 at ucolick.org>
            Steve Allen <sla at ucolick.org> writes:

: On Fri 2007-06-15T07:40:17 -0400, Greg Hennessy hath writ:

: > Well, one of the reasons you don't want DUT1 to expand in size is due to

: > the installed base that would break. Have you ever considered that DoD

: > might have a larger installed base of things that would break if

: > existing practices changed?

: 

: Based on entirely informal investigations (as all of this has been)

: presented at the Torino conference the indications are that the answer

: to that is yes.  There were stories that the GPS Joint Program Office

: was dismayed at the activities in WP7A.  Dennis McCarthy once

: indicated that the DoD had not undertaken any formal process to answer

: the question.  Denial is not a river in Egypt.


Yes.  There is "cost of the current system" and "cost of change."
Leap seconds have a non-zero cost that has been pushed onto one set of
people (device manufacturers that have to deal with it).  No leap
seconds would make the device manufacturer's cost 0, but some of the
installed base of devices and software would need to change.

Who gets stuck with the bill for implementing the system is a very
interesting question.  What the total bill for change vs the current
system is also an interesting one.  There are no credible estimates
for either side, but lots of WAGs.

Warner